Neka's Ultimate Pokémon Quest #1
by Cyllya
Summary: Neka Suzume is a Pokémon Trainer from a rural area near Pallet. These are the adventures of her and her Charmeleon, Phyeri, as they try to enter the Pokémon League


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Neka's Pokémon Quest #1:  
The First Parts of Indigo  
by Cyllya

Chapter I  
Battle for the Thunder Badge

Have you ever noticed the dirty look that's constantly on the face of most Voltorbs? Those eyes can get freaky sometimes, don't they? Well, I'll tell you this: When I'm mad, I make a tough Voltorb bounce off crying to its mommy. That's why I wasn't intimidated now.

A "Cocky ignorant over-weight schoolgirl," was the phrase that gave me this round of glares. Lt. Surge was going to be sorry he ever insulted me. I wouldn't just beat him, I was gonna wallop him good. His first choice was a Voltorb. If my research was correct, he would choose Pikachu and Raichu next.

So I, Neka Suzume of Crimson City, was gonna smash this guy flat. I'd researched him, I'd trained hard the last few weeks, I'd beaten Brock and Misty, I'd beaten every single trainer on the SS Anne, I'd already decided which of my Pokémon I'd use for this battle, and I'd already discussed a strategy with them. My Charmeleon stood boldly behind me, but I'd only use him if Surge tried to surprise me with different Pokémon than what I'd researched.

I raised my mini Pokéball, enlarged it, brushed the blond streak of otherwise-brown hair out of my currently-bright-green eyes, and threw it. I cried, "Go, Koratta! Plan K!"

The 'K' stood for 'Kawaii.' If you don't know, it's the Japanese word for 'cute.'

"Rat! Rattata!" Koratta, my Rattata, squeaked cheerfully, looking smaller and cuter than he naturally was. Surge looked a bit disappointed for a moment.

"Voltorb! Tackle dat rodent!" he ordered.

"Come on, Cutie!" I said in a slightly higher pitch, using the same ploy my Pokémon was, "Dodge it and attack with Quick Attack!"

"Rattata!" Koratta used his speed to move around and ram Voltorb from behind.

"Sonic Boom!" Surge ordered.

"DROP IT!" I ordered Koratta, using a louder version of my normal voice, "Use our strategy!"

"Rat-Rattata!" Rattata hissed. He disappeared, leaving a hole. The sound-powered cyclone of Voltorb's attack passed harmlessly.

"Voltorb?" Voltorb questioned. His trainer looked confused as well.

__

You think just 'cause Koratta's not a Ground type means he can't use the Dig attack? I thought mockingly as my hissing rodent burst from the ground beneath Voltorb. The ball-shaped Pokémon emitted some futile sparks in an attempt to be rid of Koratta, but it and several chunks of the ground were slammed against the ceiling. Koratta scampered out of the way as dirt and Voltorb landed hard.

"Vol…torb…" Voltorb murmured weakly. My pride rose a bit, seeing that once-intimidating glare reduced to a pair of swirls. Yet now was no time to get cocky.

"Retion Voltorb!" Surge ordered as the beam of red light enveloped Voltorb and drew it into its Pokéball, "Go, Pikachu!"

"Good job, Koratta! Return!" I ordered. Using my classic 'raise, enlarge, brush, throw' movement, I yelled, "Get 'em, Sparkling! Quick Attack!"

You couldn't see Sparkling until after she'd already knocked Surge's Pikachu back five feet. That was nothing compared to the Quick Attacks my Pikachu has when she _starts out_ on the ground.

"Thunda-shock!" Surge yelled, then winced. Thundershock wasn't a good attack to use on Electric-type Pokémon.

"Back at 'em, Sparkling!" I cried.

"Pi-pika!" Sparkling squealed as her Thundershock met with the lightning of her opponent's attack. The two blasts hit each other and dissolved in the air. Sparkling continued the attack on Pikachu. He cringed, then shook his head to recover.

"Thunda Wave!" Surge and I commanded in unison.

Which Pokémon was faster? Pikachu's lack of readiness and Sparkling's easy precluding of its attack suggest she was at a higher level. Sure enough, her level was higher, and so was her speed. Pikachu froze as Sparkling used Thundershock to ward off his attack.

__

About three levels below? I wondered. "Quick Attack!"

"Pi-Chu!" Sparkling rammed Pikachu. It stiffly stood and managed to return the blow. Several Quick Attacks later, Sparkling and Pikachu both looked beat up.

"Growl! Thundershock!" I shouted.

"Char!" Phyeri, my Charmeleon, cheered.

"Chrruuuu!" Sparkling growled, crackling with electricity. Because she knew I wasn't planning to use her in the next round, she gave it everything she had. Pikachu fell.

"Pikachu, retoin!" Surge said, sounding frustrated. There was no mistaking the fact that Sparkling was pooped. She did her best not to let Surge see, but, as her trainer, I could tell. I recalled her and waited for Surge to make his choice.

"Go, Raichu! We'll blast 'em!" Surge shouted, "Thunda-bolt!"

"Get 'em… Diglett!" I ordered, erasing Surge's smug look. I was putting a risk on the outcome of this battle. I'd talked to Diglett with my other Pokémon when I'd told them about our strategy, and Diglett got along with me very well. Yet I had stored Diglett in the PC almost the entire time since I'd caught him, and this was the first battle I'd _ever_ used him in. Yet at level twenty-two, he was tougher than half my Pokémon. I couldn't have caught him with my Pidgeotto's immunity to Ground-type attacks.

"Dig-a-dig!" Diglett squeaked.

"Rye-rye-chu!" Raichu cursed as his Thunderbolt was rendered useless.

"Tackle, Diglett!" I commanded. Diglett tore through the surface of the ground and tackled Raichu in the belly. 

"Mega Punch!" Surge ordered.

"Chu! CHU!" Raichu cried, socking Diglett's big pink nose with a glowing paw.

"Dig!" Diglett cried in pain.

"Hang in there, Diglett!" I shouted, "Show 'em your Dig attack!"

"Meleon! Char!" Phyeri whooped.

"Diglett dig!" Diglett vanished in his hole, thus avoiding Raichu's second punch. Waiting less than Koratta had with Voltorb, the mole popped up and sent Raichu flying.

"Rye!" moaned the mouse as it landed upside-down on its shoulders. A flick of its arms brought it upright. It pivoted instantly, swinging its blade-like tail. The attack whacked Diglett and left him off-guard for Raichu's quick attack.

"Dig again!" I commanded and Diglett disappeared.

"Run, Raichu!" Surge ordered. Raichu dropped to four legs and began running around the battling area. It wasn't fast enough to be the Agility technique, but Diglett would have a hard time hitting it.

I tapped the ground with the toe of my boot, knowing Diglett could hear vibrations from underground. We'd rehearsed this because I knew Raichus run fast.

There was a hard-to-describe sound as a ten-foot-wide circle of ground in the center of the arena sank down ten feet or so. With dust clouding the field, I saw Raichu skid to a confused stop before it got too thick.

"DIG!"

"Rye-CHU!" Raichu screeched as it was hurled out of the hole. It landed on it back. After a few seconds of immobility, a bell dinged.

"Diglett!" Diglett sang as he popped up on higher ground near Phyeri and me.

"The challenger, Neka Suzume, is the winner!" the announcer announced.

"Char-Meleon!" Phyeri cheered as I jumped up and whooped. 

I said, "Great job, Diglett! Return!"

Surge sighed and walked over to me after recalling Raichu.

"Congratulations," he said, "I take back what I said about you being a cocky ignorant school girl. Here, take the Thunder Badge as proof you beat me."

"Thanks," I said, taking the sun-shaped badge. I'm not over-weight, but I didn't feel like explaining my comparison with the toothpick-sized wimps I used to go to school with.

"Good luck on your journey," Surge said, "Dis should help you out. It's TM24, Thunda-bolt."

"Thank you," I said, taking the black cube from him.

As Phyeri and I left them gym, I noticed that Diglett's dust had made my clothes—a black elbow-length-sleeved shirt, sky blue shorts and gloves, a slightly lighter blue vest, a black belt, and tan boots—get dirty. 

Err… dirtier….

"Well, Phyeri," I said to Phyeri, "We're one badge closer to the Indigo League."

"Char," Phyeri said, nodding. He seemed happy, yet not quite as enthusiastic as me. I knew why; he knew it'd been my dream to compete in the Johto League.

"Oh, cheer _up_," I said, playfully pushing on his head with one finger, "We'll do Johto when we get the chance, and we'll catch a Stantler. We'll teach it Stomp, Quick Attack, Hypnosis, and Leer."

Can you tell I've studied?

I liked that line-up for Stantler because Stomp contained necessary brute force, Quick Attack had strategic advantages, Hypnosis could put the enemy to sleep, and Leer would lower the enemy's defenses. Of all the Pokémon I've studied, I think Stantler is the best to use for battle when you're trying to capture the opponent.

Phyeri and I reached the Pokémon Center, and I pulled three mini Pokéballs off my belt.

"Good job, Koratta, Sparkling, Diglett," I said to the Pokéballs. My other Pokémon were perfectly healthy, but a little extra rest never hurt anyone. I gave my five Pokéballs plus Phyeri to the Chansey on the far side of the counter. I sat down in the lobby and took out my map.

I sighed. There were a lot of places I wanted to go, but Route 11 was blocked by some big Pokémon called Snorlax, and the road at Route 6 was blocked off for whatever reason. I felt a bit stranded, but right before Nurse Joy announced the revival of my Pokémon, I'd worked out a way to Lavender Town.

With Route 6 and 11 blocked off, I'd have to go through the Underground Path, Route 9, Route 10, and the Rock Tunnel. The Rock Tunnel was one of the darkest places in the world, but Phyeri could help. I exchange Diglett for my Pidgeotto named Wing-Blade at the PC, dug into my navy-colored backpack, disregarded my Potions, Pokéballs, Antidotes, Escape Ropes, TMs, and other things, and brought out a black cube—TM24.

Chapter II  
On the Way to the Rock Tunnel 

Who should learn Thunderbolt? Of my Pokémon, I had two that could learn it—Koratta and Sparkling. When you teach a Pokémon a more difficult attack like Thunderbolt, it sometimes has to forget another move, or becomes inapt with it. Pokémon couldn't learn more than four special attacks.

Koratta knew Dig, Quick Attack, Bubble Beam, and Hyper Fang. Being a non-Electric Pokémon, he'd have to forget something to take in all that knowledge.

Sparkling had Quick Attack, Thundershock, Growl, and Thunder Wave. Quick Attack and Growl aren't special attacks, so she'd remember them all.

"Come back out, Sparkling!" I said and dropped her Pokéball outside of the Pokémon Center.

"Pi_ka_chu!" Sparkling said amiably.

"How about a new attack? Thunderbolt?" I asked, kneeling and holding the HM down to her.

"Chu!" she cheered.

"Come on, Sparks" I said.

"Cha…" Sparkling nodded as she stepped toward the TM. As soon as her paw touched it, it glowed blue and opened up like some kind of whacked-out puzzle box. Electricity crackled through and around it and Sparkling.

"Pika," Sparkling said calmly. She stepped away from the box as the electricity and the glowing stopped. Knowing it was useless, I tossed the empty TM into a nearby trash bin.

I recalled Sparkling and said, "That-a girl. Come on, Phyeri."

"Char," Phyeri said falling into step behind me. He said, "Char Charmeleon Char-char."

"Yeah, I know I'm dirty and my hair is sticking up," I said, stopping and turning. The static from the TM had made my hair poof out. I asked, "So what?"

"Meel," Phyeri said and poked one of my Pokéballs. It opened, revealing Koratta. He looked almost straight up and opened his mouth wide….

"Don't even—!" I yelled. The waves of water, bubbles, and foam that crashed down on my head cut off my protest. I was unharmed because Koratta wasn't trying to hurt me, but thanks to Misty and TM11, his Bubble Beam soaked me. I grumbled, "That _wasn't_ funny."

Apparently Phyeri and Koratta disagreed, because they burst out laughing.

"Return!" I cried angrily. I glared at the pair of Pokéballs in my hand and laughed a little.

Okay, maybe it was a _little_ bit funny….

One hour, ten miles, two battles, and thirty-seven wild Pokémon later, I'd reached the start of Route 9. My roller-blades were specially made for off-road and allowed fast movement, so I kept them on. There was a bush in my way, and there was no way around.

"Go, Hana!" I ordered.

"Gloom, gloom!" Hana said cheerfully.

"Cut attack!" I ordered. The bush was no more. I said, "Good job! Return!"

Ahead of me were two ledges—one above me, one going downward—on either side. Directly in front of me, there was a impassable rise of land and a girl. She must be a trainer, but I wanted to save my Pokémon's strength for the Rock Tunnel, so I'd try to avoid her.

"Hey! You have Pokémon! You're mine!" she hollered as I failed to get over the ledge before she saw me. There was no way I'd turn down a challenge.

"Alright! Go, Buzzer!" I ordered.

Buzzer hovered in front of me, buzzing threateningly.

"Go, Oddish!" the girl ordered her Pokémon.

"Oddish! Odd!" Oddish said.

"Buzzer!" I shouted, "Twineedle!"

"Bee-ee-ee-ee!" Buzzer buzzed. He flew forward, spiked claw extended. He rammed Oddish with the cone on his upper-right arm. Oddish looked badly hurt, but Buzzer's second jabbed knocked him out.

"Oh, Oddish!" the girl cried, "Return!"

"Good job, Buzzer!" I praised. Buzzer buzzed a response.

"Go…Bellsprout!" the girl commanded. Her Bellsprout looked about the same level as her Oddish, but Buzzer had gotten stronger by fighting Oddish. I could probably use the same strategy as long as Buzzer hit Bellsprout before it used Wrap or Growth. 

Sure enough, it worked, with Buzzer only having to hit Bellsprout once. It turned out to be a pretty boring battle; Buzzer wiped out her second Oddish and Bellsprout the same way. She gaped at her last fallen Bellsprout.

"Nice battle," I lied, "Hope ta battle ya again sometime!" Before she could answer, I roller-bladed over the ledge and landed about five feet down before continuing. Another ledge down, I saw an item ball. There were some stairs a ways away, so I jumped down to get it.

"Cool," I said, "TM30. What's that? Teleport?" None of my six Pokémon could learn teleport, but it was still cool. I avoided the next trainer I saw and went up those stairs I'd seen. My next battle was versus some bug-catcher. He had a fairly tough Caterpie and Weedle, but he surprised me when he brought out a Venonat. Buzzer and Wing-Blade took care of them all. I came to a large patch of tall grass and the beginning of Voltage River, which informed me I was near the end of Route 9. Sparkling effortlessly wiped out the low-level Spearow that attacked us, but then I spotted the leader of Pokémon's dirty looks.

"Voltorb…" I murmured quietly, grinning.

"PING! Voltorb—the Bomb Ball Pokémon," my PokéDex said, "Level 16."

"Go, Hana!" I hollered.

"Hana! Hana!" Hana cried. Before Hana could attack, Voltorb Screeched.

When Hana and I recovered from the sound, I yelled, "Sleep Powder!"

"Gloom!" Hana's sparkly blue powder engulfed the startled Voltorb and put him to sleep. Don't ask me how a sleeping Pokémon breaks free of a Pokéball, but they can, so….

"Absorb!" I ordered. Hana's attack woke Voltorb up, but no worries. Hana was injured by Voltorb's Tackle attack, but she used Absorb too many times and made Voltorb faint. There was no catching it now. I used the same strategy with the next Voltorb I found, using Hana's Absorb one time less, followed by Phyeri's Leer attack, a repetition of Hana's sleep powder since Phyeri woke it up, and a Pokéball. I caught it.

"PING! This Pokémon is usually found in power plants. It's easily mistaken for a Pokéball and has zapped many people," my PokéDex said.

"Alright," I said, pocketing my PokéDex. I couldn't help but wonder how it had been mistaken for a Pokéball, being a foot high. An item ball I could understand, though.

Voltorb's Pokéball vanished, and I continued south. Within minutes, I found myself in a Pokémon Center, waiting for my Pokémon to recover from their battles. I passed a nervous-looking man while I waited and asked him what was wrong.

"My friend's in Lavender Town," he said, "and I heard ghosts haunt there!"

"I'm sure he'll be fine," I said. I got my Pokémon, went outside, and put my blades back on. I passed another prissy-looking girl and approached a sign.

"ROCK TUNNEL" it said simply. There was a cave in the mountain beyond it. I took a deep breath and entered.

Chapter III  
Rocks and Rockets

"Woah," I murmured, "It _is_ dark in here." Even near the entrance, I couldn't see my hand. I fumbled through my Pokéballs and said, "Go, Phyeri!"

"Pigee-oh?"

"Oh, sorry, Wing-Blade, wrong Pokéball." I got Phyeri on the next try and his tail flame lit the way. I heard the call of Zubat and released Buzzer, Hana, Sparkling, and Koratta for safety measures. It was a good thing too, because a Zubat came rocketing toward us. I ordered Sparkling to use Thunderbolt on it. Three more Zubat came and flew off carrying their fried companion.

"Prepare for trouble!" someone shouted.

"Make it double!"

"Huh?" I questioned.

"To thwart the Pokémon preservation!"

"To fry the people of every nation!"

"To attack the powers of truth and love!"

"To reach and grab the stars above!"

A spotlight appeared from the ceiling and illuminated each of the two speakers as they said their names. They were standing on a risen area of the cavern.

"Megan!"

"Mike!"

Megan was a girl a couple years older than me. She had short spiky red hair, a black dress with red fuzzy things for a trim, and a black hat with an 'R' on it. Mike had a black suit, a white lab-coat-like garment, and a pair of white boots. His dark-brown spiky shoulder-length hair hung down to hid half his face. They both had a familiar-looking red 'R' on their chest.

"Team Rocket beats the best just out of spite!" Megan exclaimed.

"Give us your Pokémon 'cause you won't win this fight!" Mike said.

"Vulpix! This is tight!" the tiny Pokémon cried as it jumped to land between the two humans.

I blinked in confusion and asked, "Are you guys puttin' on a play?"

Megan, Mike, and Vulpix face-faulted upon my question. They stood back up, and Mike said, "No we're here for your Pokémon!"

"You want to put them in your play?"

"No! We're stealing them!" Megan shrieked.

"You're stealing my Pokémon?" I asked in disbelief, "Ha!" I recognized the 'R,' and said, "Oh, I remember Team Rocket! Some of your dimwitted buddies were invading Mt. Moon!"

"We're not so dimwitted, little girl!" replied a female voice. The Vulpix?

"So hand over your Pokémon, and we'll let _you_ go," Megan said, holding her hand out, though she was too far away for me to hand her anything.

"You've _got_ to be dimwitted if you think I'll just give them to you!" I shot back.

"You asked for it!" Mike said, "Go, Cubone!"

"Cubone! Bone! Bone!" the Cubone squawked.

"Go, Hana!" I ordered, "Absorb!"

"Gloom-Gloom!" Hana whooped. Her Absorb did a lot of damage, but Cubone came back with a tough Bone Club. Hana's next Absorb attack helped her sustain before she put it to sleep and knocked it out. 

"Go! Slowpoke!" Mike commanded.

"Sparkling! Thunderbolt!" I ordered.

"Slowpoke! Disable!"

"Pika CHU!" Sparkling howled as she released her power on Slowpoke. She fried it fairly well, but it recovered slightly and used its Disable technique. Sparkling froze in her tracks, giving time for the slow Slowpoke to use Headbutt. Sparkling was knocked back, but she was over her disability, and, upon my instructions, used Quick Attack to pummel the Pokémon.

"I'll show you!" Megan cried, "Get 'em Spearow!"

"Koratta!" I shouted, "Hyper Fang!"

"Rattata!" Koratta hissed and lunged forward. His fangs glowed and lengthened before he bit into Spearow's wing. Spearow squawked loudly, landed with a thud, and began Pecking Koratta. It pecked too fast for Koratta to do anything but sit and take the blows.

"Koratta return!" I ordered, "Wing-Blade! Quick Attack!"

"Pi-YOT!" Wing-Blade squawked, slamming Spearow. The enemy was quickly disposed of.

"Go, Machop! BEAT THEM!" Megan screamed.

"Chop!" Machop smacked Wing-Blade with Karate Chop. They exchanged Karate Chops and Quick Attacks for awhile, making a boring battle. Quick Attack was Wing-Blade's strongest attack. Karate Chop was probably the Machop's only attack. Eventually, Wing-Blade got the advantage and knocked Machop out.

"Return, Machop!" Megan said weakly.

"I'll use my Flame Thrower!" the Vulpix exclaimed. She ran forward, leaped toward me and my Pokémon, and charred my Wing-Blade. She landed softly on two legs.

"Phyeri!" I ordered, "Blast that mutt with your Ember!"

Vulpix's Flame Thrower blasted through Phyeri's attack and hit him in the belly. He lurched back in pain.

"Leer! Scratch her!" I commanded.

"Char!" Phyeri narrowed his eyes and Vulpix flinched. She was distracted long enough for Chameleon to swipe reddened lines across her face. He spun around, his tail flame emitting sparks that showered onto Vulpix. His tail hit her and knocked her into Mike. 

"Buzzer! Fury Attack!" I pointed boldly at our enemies as Buzzer buzzed toward them, cone-like arms making punching movements. His poking ended up somehow making them all jump very high, so he flew under them and knocked them upward.

"Char!" Phyeri roared as Buzzer rejoined us.

"You all did a great job!" I said, "Even Koratta and Wing-Blade!"

Chapter IV  
Lavender Town: the Noble Purple Town

It seemed like hours later when I emerged into the blessed sunlight. I'd recalled Hana, Buzzer, and Sparkling after my match with Team Rocket, but I needed Phyeri's tail flame to light the cave. Since he was pooped from fighting Vulpix, I had been left roller-blading through a dark maze while giving a piggy-back ride to a nearly-fifty-pound fire lizard. It wouldn't have been so bad if I'd had any energy, but I finally exited onto Route 10 near a sign that said "ROCK TUNNEL."

I battled some annoying cocky trainer with a couple of Geodudes that were practically flattened by Hana. I rolled slowly toward the Pokémon Center before taking off my roller blades and going in. 

I talked to some people while I waited for my Pokémon to be healed. A man told me that a person would pay a lot of money for a Cubone's skull. A reporter told me that Team Rocket would do anything for gold.

One little girl was crying and said, "I saw Cubone's mother die trying to escape from Team Rocket!"

I felt my anger rise as blood rushed to my face, making it red. Nurse Joy announced my Pokémon's complete recovery, so I took them and went outside to chat with the locals. I found that there were ghost's of Pokémon in the Pokémon Tower, that what I'd heard about Cubone's mother was true, and that one girl thought nobody believed in ghosts but me.

"Lavender Volunteer Pokémon House," was the message on a sign I came across. It seemed interesting enough so I went in.

"Have you seen Mr. Fuji?" a man asked when I walked in.

"No, sorry," I said. A Nidorino and a Psyduck came up to investigate me.

"This is Mr. Fuji's house," a girl said, "He's really nice, so he takes care of orphaned Pokémon." A magazine on the table was opened to an ad about the Pokémon Monthly Grand Prize Drawing. The application form had been cut out.

I said goodbye and headed to the famous Pokémon Tower. It was clearly a very unhappy place. If ghosts were big fans of spooky places like they were in stories, no wonder they picked this place to hang out.

"Pokémon Tower was erected in the memory of Pokémon that died," the lady at the counter told me when I asked about the place.

Where there was another reason for the ghosts to like it here.

"My Growlithe… why did you have to die…?" I heard a girl murmur.

"I'm a Channeler!" some crazy old lady shrieked as she ran up and got in my face, "There are spirits up to mischief! Beware!"

"Okay, I'll take your word for it," I said quickly and walked across the room as fast as I could without causing more of a scene than the ignored Channeler had. Apparently, the people here were used to her, I sure wasn't.

I don't know what creeped me out more, her or the mischievous spirits she was warning me about.

I went up the stairs and found myself within a maze of tombstones. Things kept getting creepier, and the next stair case was clear across the room.

"Hey, Neka!" came a much too familiar voice, "What brings you her? Your Pokémon don't look dead!"

"With _you_ training your Pokémon I wouldn't be surprised if that's why you're here," I said, turning to see the skinny blond girl who'd been on my case since I'd left Pallet with my Pokémon. So what if Sarah was Professor Oak's granddaughter? She was a bigger jerk than her cousin Gary, though he'd started to wise up and be a little nicer to people.

"Well I'll at least make yours faint!" she said, bringing out a Pokéball.

"You're on!" I said, preparing my Pokémon, "Go, Buzzer!"

"Ha!" Sarah laughed, "Go, Pidgeotto!"

It was more than a match for my Beedrill, and it even seemed a bit tougher than Wing-Blade, so I recalled Buzzer.

"Go, Sparkling!" I ordered, "Use your Thunderbolt!"

"Pidge-yote!" Pidgeotto squawked, scoring a Quick Attack before Sparkling could charge up.

"Pika…" Sparking began, "CHU!"

Pidgeotto struggled to hold its flight and used Gust. Sparkling was looking bad, and would faint if Pidgeotto hit her with Quick Attack before she could attack again. Thundershock would take the bird out, but would Sparkling's Quick Attack?

"Sparkling! Quick Attack!" I ordered.

The answer was no, but Pidgeotto wouldn't last much longer. Sarah used a Potion on it, giving me time to do the same thing on Sparkling.

Pidgeotto tried to use Sand-Attack, using the thick layer of dust in the tower. Yet it didn't work well. Sparkling's Thunderbolt pulled us through.

"Return, Pidgeotto! Go, Growlithe!" Sarah ordered.

"Sparkling! Come back!" I ordered, "Get 'em, Koratta! Bubble Beam!"

Her Growlithe was slow, or it could have attacked first. It responded with a futile Roar attack. Koratta used Bubble Beam again and was weakened by Leer before knocking the mutt out with Quick Attack.

"Return!" Sarah grumbled, "Go, Exeggcute!"

"Return! Go, Phyeri!" I only pointed since Phyeri was already standing next to me. 

"Char-me!" Phyeri sprang forward and knocked off half of Exeggute's strength with Ember.

Where did Sarah find an Exeggute anyway? The omelet-waiting-to-happen hit Phyeri four times with its barrage attack. The technique did very little damage. So Phyeri was free to use Ember again, knocking Exeggcute out.

"Go, Kadabra!" Sarah cried after recalling Exeggute.

The same Kadabra I'd seen on the SS Anne appeared as the challenger while I replace Phyeri with Buzzer. Bug types are resistant to Psychic, so I ordered Twineedle. Kadabra Teleported, but Buzzer hit it anyway and knocked it out.

"Great job, Buzz!" I praised to the proud-looking Beedrill.

Sarah gaped as she called Kadabra back. She yelled, "You won't beat this! GO, Wartortle!"

"Go, Hana!" I said, returning Buzzer.

"Gloom! Gloom!" Hana said. She used Sleep Powder but Wartortle was fast, blasting it away and biting her. It whipped her with its long fluffy tail while Hana made another attempt. Wartortle fell asleep.

"No! Wake up!" Sarah yelled.

"Absorb!"

"GLOOM!" Hana acknowledged, sucking Wartortle's strength away. She absorbed until she was at full strength, when I exchanged her for Wing-Blade. The bird woke Wartortle up with Quick Attack, so I switched him with Sparkling.

"Bubble!" Sarah said.

__

Why don't you just throw your head at us, Bubble Brain? I thought bitterly as Sparkling cringed under the bubbles.

"Thunderbolt!" I ordered.

"War-tortle-tortle!" Wartortle gurgled as it blasted my slower Sparkling with Water Gun. Before it finished spraying her, she shocked him with Thunderbolt.

"Woo-hoo!" I cheered, "Who wants turtle soup?!"

"What? You stinker!" Sarah snapped, "I took it easy on ya too!" She stood up straighter and smirked, "So how's your PokéDex coming, twip? I just caught a Cubone! I can't find the grown up Marowak yet! I doubt there are any left. Well, I better get going! I've got a lot to accomplish. See ya, Loser."

I sneered and mockingly mimicked her words as she left the way I'd entered. I walked to the next staircase and found another Channeler. Fortunately she didn't act crazy.

"I wish we could identify the wayward ghosts," she said worriedly, "A Silph Scope might be of some help though."

Hadn't I heard the words "Silph Scope" before? Silph Co. was a company that manufactured Pokéballs. Oh, yeah! I'd seen an ad for the Silph Scope on a sign as I entered Lavender Town. I'd have to look at it later. 

I walked up the stairs and found another maze of tombstones.

"Be gone! Evil spirit!" another crazy lady shouted, running toward me, "Vanquish it, Gastly!"

"Buzzer!" I cried, tossing the ball, "Poison Sting!" The attack had little affect, but Gastly's Lick was likewise.

__

Wow, I allowed myself to think, _A ghost…. But isn't Gastly one of the Gaseous Pokémon? Isn't gas flammable?_

"Go, Phyeri!" I ordered.

"Gah-hastly!" Gastly laughed, hitting my Charmeleon with Night Shade, witch turned out to be more effective than Ember…

"Char…!" Phyeri moaned.

"Oh, Phyeri!" I cried, "Return! Go…uh, Hana! Sleep Powder!"

Hana was confused by Gastly's Confuse Ray and hurt herself before attacking. I brought out Koratta, who Bubble Beamed Gastly out of the battle. Fortunately it was the Channeler's only Pokémon.

"Whew!" she sighed, "The spirit left! My friends were possessed too!"

"Thanks for your help," I said sarcastically, but she took me seriously and nodded.

There were other Channelers around and two of the three I'd met were several orders of French fries short of a Happy Meal. What if the others were Pokémon Trainers too?

With Ghost Pokémon as hard to fight as they were and my toughest Pokémon unable to fight, getting out seemed to be a good idea. I left and headed to the Pokémon Center. When my Pokémon were ready, I went and found that sign.

"New SILPH SCOPE! Make the invisible plain to see! Silph Co." it said.

I brought Phyeri out of his Pokéball and sat down, rummaging through my backpack to see what I had. As I looked I murmured, "Two Ethers… One Pokéball… two awakenings… three Paralysis Heals… one Great Ball… one Max Potion… two Escape Ropes… two Max Ethers… two HP Ups… two Super Potions…. Three Rare Candies… a Repel… a Potion… an Antidote… TM30…and my map," Those were my belongings, plus some food for myself and my Pokémon, my clothes, and my roller-blades, which were strapped to the outer part of my backpack.

And, of course, I had my badges: Boulder, Cascade, and Thunder. I pinned them onto the inside of my vest the way a lot of trainers do. If I put them in a little box, they'd be too easy to loose.

"Let's go back to the Center," I said to Phyeri, "We'll go to the PokéMart and set out in the morning." The sun was setting so we hurried. As we got comfy in the lobby, I took my map out.

With my luck, Route 8 would have a road block. What was it with Saffron City anyway? I hadn't been able to get there from Vermilion or Cerulean, so Lavender probably wouldn't be any different. That stupid Pokémon was blocking the way to Fuchsia and I wasn't going back to the Rock Tunnel. I'd find a way.

Chapter V  
Celedon's Selection

After buying some Potions, Pokéballs, and Antidotes from the PokéMart, Phyeri and I set out the next day to find a way to a new gym. Wanting to save our strength for any inevitable surprises, we carefully avoided all the other Pokémon Trainers. Sure enough, the road to Saffron was blocked, but we were lucky enough to discover an Underground Path to Route 8, the road that connected Saffron with Celedon City, the town to the west of Saffron. We traveled through the long path. As luck would have it, I found an Elixir and a Gold Nugget that someone had dropped before we emerged from the path and were attacked by a wild Mankey. That was okay, because it wasn't as strong as Buzzer.

For experience's sake, we stayed in the area to battle some wild Pokémon. When my Pokémon were toughened up a bit, I'd go back and challenge the trainers we'd worked so hard to avoid. We encountered a few Pidgey and some Oddish, but then we saw a Growlithe, which scared Koratta away when I tried to catch it.

Buzzer, Hana, and Wing-Blade were Paralyzed and Phyeri was asleep. We weren't getting much experience, and I couldn't find any more Growlithes.

Now would be a good time to find Celedon….

With all my Pokémon recalled, I was left to find my own way, but it wasn't far. I used the heavy smell of flowers to guide my way and was shocked when I came through some trees and found myself in the city. Countless huge brick buildings towered over me, but instead of the asphalt, cars, and busses you normally see in big cities, there were cobbled roads, bicyclists, and pedestrians. As I walked along, someone bumped into me—or vice versa, I wasn't sure which.

Though he wasn't a person I knew and I'd never even seen him before in my life, I recognized him immediately using his uniform. He scowled at me and said, "Stay out of Team Rocket's way!" I stood there among the normal Celedon citizens, wearing my classic evil glare, as he walked out of view.

__

Big city, I thought, _I need my roller-blades, or I'll never find the Center._ I put on my blades and found the Pokémon Center easily. As I always did in a new city, I talked to people while my Pokémon were being treated.

"If I had a bike, or some roller-blades," said one kid, "I'd go on the Cycling Road." I grinned inwardly.

"I road here from Fuchsia," one lady told me.

"The PokéFlute awakens a Pokémon with a sound only they can here," a man sad.

With my extensive amounts—yeah, right—of new information, I was ready to hit the town with my freshly-recovered Pokémon.

"C'mon, Phyeri," I said, lifting him into piggy-back position on my back, "We have some urban exploring to do!"

Over the next few hours, we roamed the streets, visited a café, briefly stopped at the full Celedon Hotel, met a girl with a Koffing and a man with a Poliwrath, heard a lot about the Game Corner, and repeatedly marveled at the Celedon Dept. Store as we passed it. A depressed man gave me the coin case he'd gotten as the Game Corner. I'd visited a place with Team Rocket member and two guys that probably weren't wearing their T.R. uniforms.

"Don't mess with the poster in the Game Corner," one man told me, "There's no secret switch behind it."

"Uh…okay," I said. Even Phyeri was getting a sweat drop at this man's idiocy. We left and I turned to my Flame Pokémon, "We'll have to check on that poster, huh?"

"Char!" he nodded.

"So, where should we go first?" I asked, "The department store or the Game Corner?"

"Me-Meleon-char," he said.

"Department store it is!" I said. I put him back on my back and bladed to the tallest building in the city. I replaced my boots, made Phyeri walk, and went it.

We were in a big room with pink ceramic tiles, a pair of pay phones on the far side of the wall, and a counter with a receptionist or secretary behind it. 

"Welcome to the Celedon Department Store!" she said, "The board on the right describes the store layout." I went to the sign on the counter to her and read it. It said:

1F:  
Service Counter  
2F:  
Trainer's Market  
3F:  
TV Game Shop  
4F:  
Wiseman Gifts  
5F:  
Drug Store  
Rooftop Square:  
Vending Machines.

"Let's check out the Trainer's Market," I said, "I've heard it's like a real big PokéMart!"

"Meleon!" Phyeri said, following me up the staircase. After thirty-or-so stairs, we found ourselves in the midst of TONS of Pokémon stuff. I quickly discovered that the store was pretty expensive, with TMs costing anywhere from $10.00 to $30.00. 

The usual PokéMart items were regularly priced considering there was a more valuable selection of merchandise than what I was used to. I bought two Great Balls, two Super Potions, and a Revive for $39.00 and still had $185.25 left.

This time we took the elevator to get to the game place on the third floor. There were video game ads, SNES's, N64's, Gameboys, video games, and arcade machines filling the room. There weren't any Pokémon with the customers in this store.

"Hey! Are you a Trainer?" some guy called to me, raising his voice to be heard over the sounds of giggles, splats, explosions, artificial Pokémon, yelling, running, and chatting.

"Yeah!" I called back.

"Take this!" he threw a TM at me, "I don't need it any more; it's TM18: Counter."

"Thanks!" I said. Counter was known to be a crummy attack; it worked so rarely that no one I'd talked to actually knew what it did.

Phyeri and I spent four buck's worth of quarters playing arcade games. We even played a Pokémon RPG, though it was strange to be battling with a Charmander versus a Charmander that was controlled by my Charmeleon. He had to drag me away from the free use of SNES puzzle game. 

He pushed the elevator button for the fourth floor, so we entered Wiseman Gifts. It looked like a smaller version of the Trainer's Market with different merchandise. Some how they managed to fit a sufficient supply of every gift imaginable on the shelves, yet I was only interested in stuff trainers could use.

I came across a whole shelf full of plush dolls of nearly 250 different Pokémon. I picked I Charmeleon up off the shelf and squeezed it twice. It squeaked in unison with my squeezes. I blinked at it for a few seconds, then exclaimed, "Oh, it's so _cute_!"

Phyeri sweatdropped as he watched me.

"If you'd like to know," the nearby clerk told me, "you can use those PokéDolls to distract Pokémon while you run away. We also have Fire, Water, Thunder, and Leaf Stones."

"I'll take two PokéDolls," I said, handing the clerk the Charmeleon and Grimer dolls, "One for running, and one," I held the Charmeleon doll toward Phyeri and made it squeak, "'cause this one's so cute!"

Phyeri sweatdropped again and looked at me like I was an idiot. We went to the Drug Store next and found that it was more interesting that I expected. They had aspirin, cough drops, sinus treatment, some other stuff, and some Pokémon ability enhances. They had vitamins, plus Guard Special, Dire Hit, X Attack, and other things beginning with 'X'. 

But the Pokémon vitamins were $98 per bottle.

"Sorry, but the nutrition in your food will have to do until I get more money," I said to Phyeri, "I'm just a third-badge trainer, not one of the Elite Four." The elevator didn't go to the roof so we had to walk up about sixty stairs to reach the next level. Upon arriving on the roof, I sighed, "Finally! No more stairs!"

"Char, Charmeleon char, me-Meleon," Phyeri protested, informing me that I shouldn't complain because I had nice long legs.

"Okay, you're right," I said apologetically, "Let's get something to drink."

"Meleon!"

"I knew you'd agree to that," I said, "Fresh water?" I asked.

Phyeri nodded. I bought three waters, two lemonades, and two soda pops. I gave a bottle of water to Phyeri and drank a soda. Somehow, a desperately thirsty little girl talked me into giving her a water, a soda, and a lemonade, but she gave me the TMs containing Ice Beam, Rock Slide, and Tri Attack in return.

After finishing our drinks Phyeri and I went back down the flight of stairs and used the elevator to get to the ground floor. It was late so we went to the Pokémon Center for the night.

"That was fun," I murmured to Phyeri as I started to fall asleep, "Tomorrow: the Game Corner."

"Char."

Chapter VI  
The Secret of the Game Corner

"Rocket Game Corner: The playground for grown-ups."

That's what the sign said, and although I wasn't an adult, I figured Phyeri and I should go in and have a look around. I'd never heard so many contrasting sounds in one place; there were whoopee's, moans, ringing sounds, gasps, beeps, and more talk than I could ever hope to contemplate. Since I couldn't use regular money for the slots, I went to the man at the counter in the back of the large slot-machine-filled room.

"Welcome to the Rocket Game Corner!" he said cheerfully, "Do you need some game coins? It's ten dollars for 50 coins. Would you like some?"

Though I wasn't in the mood for spending _another_ $10 in addition to my minor shopping spree the day before, I got my wallet out of my pocket as my brain registered what he'd just said.

It hit me.

Everyone in Celedon called this place 'The Game Corner,' and I'd been stupid enough to not notice it on the sign outside. But it'd finally hit me when he said it. I'd suspected that this place had something to do with Team Rocket, but now I knew that it _was_ Team Rocket, or part of it.

I looked around in attempt to find something to indicate an innocent reason to call it 'Rocket Game Corner,' but all I saw was Phyeri shaking his head and a lady behind the counter looking at him like he was sports car she wanted…. And a man in a T.R. uniform inspecting a poster in the back of the room. I closed my wallet and shoved it back into my pocket.

"I just remembered I have to save my allowance," I said.

"Okay," the man said, "Come play sometime."

After the slot machines and Team Rocket's addicted patrons were blocking our view of the man, Charmeleon tapped one of my Pokéballs. After Koratta appeared, he said something to him, and the Rat Pokémon scurried off.

"Hey, who's the trainer here?" I asked Phyeri, "Me or you?" 

"Char-har-har-har-har!" he laughed. I told him to stay put and went to find Koratta. The first acquaintance I found, however, was one of Prof. Oak's blockheads. 

"What are you wasting time here for?" he asked, "Erika is the leader of the Celedon Gym, and she uses Grass-type Pokémon. She may seem docile, but don't let her fool you."

"Oh, I think I dropped my PokéDex," I said, blurting out the first excuse to get away I could find.

There were several people I'd talked to, asking them if they'd seen my Rattata. All of them spoke before I could ask though.

"Keep this quiet," one man said, "It's rumored that this place is run by Team Rocket."

Any doubts I'd had about the Rocket Game Corner were instantly chucked into nonexistence. I'd gotten so distracted about what he'd said that I'd forgotten about what I'd had to say and walked away. I started to ask someone else.

"Do you want to play?" a friendly-looking guy asked before I could get to the point, "Here, have some coins." He shoved ten coins into my hands.

"Thanks, but—" I stopped. No point in talking to him now; he was back to being too involved in his slot machine. So I moved on.

"Here," someone said, giving me twenty coins.

I appreciated their generosity, but it's not like I was some little beggar or anything. Another man thought I was trying to throw him off his slot machine and gave me twenty more coins in exchange for leaving him alone.

Now that I had fifty coins, I finally spotted Koratta as he came up to me and spat about ten spit-covered coins at my feet. Phyeri came up behind me and looked proud of himself for his brilliant idea of getting Koratta's help.

"You win," I said exasperatedly, "Thanks, Koratta. Return. You think he got all of the ones off the floor?"

Phyeri considered and shook his head. With the two of us looking, we found plenty of coins to last awhile. We had a total of 230 coins. I sat at a slot machine where I could easily watch the Rocket and his poster out of the corner of my eye. An hour later, he was still there, and I had 177 coins.

I suppose I was acting too curious for my own good when I went over to the Rocket and asked what he was doing, just standing there and not having any fun. I even offered him ten coins in hopes that I would seem less suspicious.

"I'm guarding this poster, go away or else!" he snapped. I would have accepted this answer, but he tossed a Pokéball and yelled, "Go, Raticate! Get that snoop, Zubat!"

"Go, Phyeri!" I yelled out of reflex because he was my toughest Pokémon. Since this guy was breaking Official Pokémon League Rules by using two Pokémon, so would I. His Raticate looked like a wimp, so I ordered, "Go, Koratta!"

Upon my instructions, Koratta used Hyper Fang on Raticate before using Dig both to attack and avoid its Hyper Fang, and Phyeri toasted the slow-moving malnourished Zubat.

The Team Rocket member spat out a word that shouldn't be repeated, and, probably louder than he'd meant to, said, "Our hideout may have been discovered! I better tell the Boss!" With that he dashed into a three-foot-wide space between a row of slot machines and the wall. I chased after him with Phyeri and Koratta close behind. I gasped.

He was gone. There was a wall on two sides of this long skinny rectangle, the back sides of slot machines on another, and my Pokémon and me on the fourth. There was no way he'd get out without going through me… but he wasn't there.

I curiously walked back to the poster and examined it. I was a poster of someone skydiving and a bunch of Pidgeys and the Legendary Trio flying around with the caption "JUST DO IT!" in big yellow letters at the top. I felt every square inch of it and sensed something behind the middle of it. I made sure no one was watching, pulled the thumbtacks out of the bottom two corners, and lifted it up.

"Hey!" I said, noticing a light-switch-like thing where I'd felt something, "A switch! Let's push it!"

Down near the place the Rocket must have disappeared, there was now a door.

I went to the Center to revive Phyeri and Koratta. With them refreshed, I rushed back to the mysterious door.

I walked down the stairs with Phyeri. We were in a small room with another nearby staircase and a wide doorway. Beyond the doorway, there was a hallway horizontal to us. To the front of us was another dead-end doorless hallway lined with potted palm trees. To the left was a doorway guarded by a Rocket that couldn't see me. There was another door to my far right, behind a second Rocket. The man was a ways away, but he should have been able to see me. I couldn't be for sure, but it looked like his eyes were glazed over; I'd have to wave my hand in his face for him to see me. I approached the first Rocket I saw. 

"How'd you get here?" he demanded. I grinned mockingly. He sent out a Zubat, which was beaten by dear ol' Phyeri. The Rocket asked, "Are you dissing Team Rocket?!" 

There was a table and some plants in the room he was guarding. A large steel door was on the far wall, but I couldn't open it. Phyeri and I tiptoed passed the second Rocket and into the next room. It was almost identical, save there was no door and an item ball was on the floor. The ball held an Escape Rope, which was always useful even with Koratta knowing Dig.

With no where else to go, we went down that second staircase. We were in an empty room. I peeked cautiously into the next room, which held a Rocket and a staircase. We tiptoed past the guard, who was female, and approached the next door. The next room held a maze of tall wooden boxes. There were some sort of conveyer belts on the floor here and there, seemingly at random. There were arrows on them, and there was no way to get around. We stepped on a belt.

It took every ounce of self-control I had plus a minor state of shock to keep me from screaming and have every Team Rocket member in the building mobbing me. The motionless conveyer belt sped up as I stepped on it and hurled me spinning into the next one. The arrows on the next were pointing left, and that where it pushed me. I was forced onto another belt, then onto a rubber pad that stopped me. I fell over, and Phyeri landed on top of me.

"Some security system," I whined.

"Char…" Phyeri gasped.

"Well, we'll just use it to our advantage!" I said, getting up with Phyeri on my back. He looked at me like I was an idiot, so I explained the pattern I saw: The conveyer belts push you in the direction their arrows went, you change direction if you spin onto a belt going a different direction, you stop on the rubber pads, and you can walk over the pads with no problem.

I was quite awhile later when we emerged from the maze with newly-found items: a Nugget, a Moon Stone, and TM07, which was Horn Drill. There was another staircase and an elevator at the end. The elevator needed some kind of key, so I took the stairs.

There were two Rockets in the next room, which seemed to be a sort of conference room. I avoided one of them, but the other saw me.

"Intruder alert!" she screamed, probably loud enough for the whole building to hear, "Go, Grimer!"

"Go, Sparkling!" I ordered, "Thunderbolt!"

"Pi-pika-CHU!" Sparkling cried, shocking Grimer. She didn't take him out on the first hit, but she was fast enough to do it again.

"Go, Koffing!" the Rocket ordered, recalling Grimer, "Smog attack!"

Sparkling attacked first but it did little damage. The Smog attack was likewise.

"Return, Sparkling!" I called, "Get it, Koratta! Dig!"

"Rattata!" Koratta screeched. He was hit with tackle before he went underground, tunneling effortlessly through the tile. He came up under Koffing and sent a chunk of ground flying upward. The chunk squished Koffing against the ceiling.

"Help!" the Rocket screamed.

"Why did you come here?" a man demanded as he came up behind me, "Go, Rattata!"

I like testing my Pokémon against the same type or even the same species, and Koratta was already out. I sent him forward. The enemy used Tail Whip, but Koratta knocked it down with one Hyper Fang.

"Rat-Rattata!" he cried victoriously.

"Go, Raticate!"

I snorted, "Dig! If he's not out, finish it with Quick Attack!"

Koratta didn't loose a hit point. The Rocket had another Raticate, who tackled Koratta. Koratta was still strong, but Sparkling was low on experience.

"Return! Go, Sparkling!"

"Pi-pika!" she squeaked hyperly, "Chu!" She dodged Raticate's Quick Attack and used her own.

The Rocket was fuming, red-faced and all. He shouted, "GO, RATTATA!"

I rolled my eyes, "Thunderbolt!"

"Pi…ka…CHU!"

So much for that opponent. This was too easy. The Rocket fainted, falling into the arms of his aghast co-worker.

"Okay, I'll talk!" she exclaimed, "Take the elevator to see my boss!"

"Thanks," I muttered, thinking, _Wimp…._

I recalled Sparkling, and Phyeri and I went back down the stairs and took the shortcut to the first side of the maze. We encountered that other Rocket….

Sparkling beat his Zubat with Thunderbolt, Phyeri beat his Koffing with Rage, Wing-Blade beat his Grimer with Fly and Quick Attack, Buzzer beat his second Zubat with Fury Attack despite being confused, and Gloom beat his Raticate with Cut and Absorb. 

I was beginning to think that the famous Team Rocket was highly over rated. I began to think more so as the Rocket ran blindly into the maze yelling, "I surrender!"

Phyeri and I went into the staircase behind him, coming to a corner. The hallway in front of us was a dead end, but a Rocket saw us.

"We got word from upstairs you were coming!" he said. Having only a single Machop, Wing-Blade and I beat him easily. I sweatdropped and recalled my Pidgeotto as the man sat down and began to mope. He whined, "Go ahead and go! But you need the Lift Key to operate the elevator!"

I nodded and walked past him. I found TM10 at a dead end. TM10 contained Double-Edge, which is a nice move for high-level Pokémon. All of mine could learn it, but I'd decide who to give it to later. We went through a door near the staircase and, to my dismay, found another maze of boxes, conveyer belts, and rubber pads.

We made our way through, finding a Rare Candy and a Rocket.

"Stop meddling in Team Rocket's affairs!" he ordered, "Go, Rattata!"

__

What is it with Team Rocket and rats or Poison-types? I wondered as Phyeri toasted the Rattata. That had been the toughest one yet too…. To my surprise, the Rocket used a Drowzee. It used Hypnosis to put Buzzer to sleep, then knocked him out completely with Confusion. I left the battle up to Koratta's repeated use of Bubble Beam.

As I walked away, I spotted a broom closet. I looked inside, finding only brooms and other such items that are usually found in broom closets. I pushed the tools to the corner and gestured for Phyeri to follow me in. He looked confused, but followed anyway.

I closed the door and sat down in the cramped space. I took my injured Beedrill out of his Pokéball. He was hurt pretty bad, but I'd never get him to the Pokémon Center. I gave him a Revive and a few Potions. He would need some rest, so I laid him in my lap and brought out my other Pokémon.

Phyeri sat on my feet, Sparkling curled up on my head, Wing-Blade perched on a mop, Hana squeezed in between me and the wall, and Koratta curled up with Buzzer. Don't ask me how, but the six of them fell asleep. Then I found myself waking up to Phyeri's tail banging against my leg.

"Silph Scope?" I heard a voice say, "Yeah, it's in here somewhere."

"Yeah," said a second, female voice, "I heard the boss say you can see ghosts with it."

__

These voices sound familiar, I thought.

"What about that one kid that's sneaking around?" the first voice asked.

"If you see her," said a third, high pitched, voice, "TOAST her!"

I gulped as the voices continued down the hall.

"Come on," I said to my Pokémon when I was sure they were gone, "It's time to go. Return." Phyeri followed my out and we continued in the direction we had been going. Eventually we found another Rocket and beat him easily since we were refreshed.

As he returned his fainted Zubat, something slipped from his hand. The little silver key clattered noisily to the tile. The man reached for it, but got a fist full of flames. Phyeri laughed at him as I picked the key up.

"You can't take that!" he said, "That's the Lift Key!"

"You don't say?" I mocked, "See ya!" He stood there helplessly as I left.

Chapter VII

The Head of Team Rocket

"You! The little brat!"

The elevator door opened on the fourth floor, revealing Mike. Megan and Vulpix rushed in from the far side of the room. There was a big steel door behind them. Megan threw her Pokéball.

"Go, Machop! Karate Chop!"

"Phyeri!" I ordered, "Ember!"

"Char…MELEON!" Phyeri roared as he swung his tail flame at Machop.

"Chop!" Machop moaned, cringing. It hit Phyeri in the stomach.

"Rage!" I called.

"Char!" answered Phyeri as he was hit with repeated Karate Chops. His tail flame grew gradually until, "CHAR!!!" In a tremendous Flame-thrower, Machop, Megan, Mike, and Vulpix were blasted into the far side of the room. Mike's head hit a switch on the wall, and the door opened.

"Thanks," I said.

"Uh-huh," Megan said dizzily.

I walked into the room and faced the man on the far side of the table. He looked about forty or so, and had that basic look of the head of a major crime organization. 

"So!" he said, "I must say I'm impressed to see you got here! I'm Giovanni, head of Team Rocket, and I'll make sure you don't leave! Go, Onix!"

"Go, Hana!" I ordered, "Sleep Powder!"

"Rrrowwwrrr!" Onix moaned, getting drowsy.

"Absorb!" I ordered, "Finish it!"

"Gloom!" Hana obliged. She sucked Onix dry.

"Not bad," Giovanni said, recalling Onix, "But we're just getting warmed up."

Hana beat his Rhyhorn with the same strategy. Team Rocket isn't everything people make them out to be. Giovanni release a Pokémon I knew as Kangaskhan. It looked tough, but it didn't have a baby.

"Hana, return!" I called, thinking, _What type is Kangaskhan? Normal? Fighting? Ground?_ I ordered, "Go, Koratta!"

Giovanni sprayed Kangaskhan with a bottle that said 'Guard Spec.' on it. No problem.

"Bubble Beam!"

"Comet Punch!" Giovanni called.

"Kanga!" Kangaskhan punched lightning-fast and hit Koratta four times. He was knocked into the wall. I picked him up.

"Good job, return," I said without putting him in his Pokéball. I thought, _Kangaskhan is fast. We'll see just how fast though._ I yelled, "Go, Sparkling!"

"Pi-pikachu!" she cried.

"Thunderbolt!" I said.

"Rage!" ordered Giovanni.

"Pi…ka-chu!" Sparkling called, shocking Kangaskhan to the point it looked tougher. It swiped at her, so she continued shooting lightning. Soon, she looked weak, low on hit points and electricity. Kangaskhan looked ready to fall over any minute, but if Sparkling didn't move fast….

"Quick Attack!" I called.

"Pika!" she yelled, charging at Kangaskhan. It swiped at her again, but it missed as she rammed it in the chest.

"Khan!" it moaned.

"WHAT?!" Giovanni demanded, "This cannot be! I see that you raise Pokémon with utmost care. A child like you would never understand what I hope to achieve. I shall step aside this time! I hope we meet again. Kangaskhan, return!"

"Hey, you can't just—!" I began. The lights flickered off. They came back on a few minutes later and I gasped.

Giovanni was gone.

Go figure.

A funky-looking rectangular purple thing with a little satellite-dish-like thing on the end was on the table, as it was when I came in. For lack of something better to do, I picked it up and inspected it. It had a large red button on one side with and said, "Silph Scope" under it in yellow letters. Underneath that in tinier letters was, "© Silph Co."

"I guess this would be the Silph Scope," I said. I circulated Giovanni's words in my head. What did he hope to achieve? When _would_ I see him again? He had said, _I see that you raise Pokémon with utmost care._

I looked at my weakened Rattata. I kissed his head and patted Phyeri's. 

Chapter VIII  
The Powers of Flowers

Now that I had the Silph Scope, I could probably go back to Lavender Town and try my luck with the weirdoes in the Pokémon Tower, but I needed some more badges. I only had three, but I hadn't gone to the Celedon Gym yet.

Safely back in the Pokémon Center, I consulted my Guide to the Pokémon League by Prof. Ivy—I never leave home without it.

"Celedon, Celedon," I mumbled, searching the table of contents. I flipped to the proper page and started to skim past the things not concerning the gym. However, I stopped at the list of Pokémon found nearby, and read, "Mankey, Vulpix, Growlithe, Oddish, Bellsprout, Pidgey, Spearow, Rattata, Raticate, Doduo…." I had seen most of these Pokémon, but some of them, including Vulpix and Bellsprout, didn't seem to be there. Unless you count Megan and Mike's weird talking bipedal Vulpix.

"Meel?" Phyeri asked, reminding me of my purpose.

"Oh," I said, "'The Celedon Gym. Leader: Erika. Co-leaders: Mica, Gina, and Kati. The Celedon Trainers use mostly Grass types. The Co-leaders and low-ranking members often use two or three Pokémon while Erika uses three to five.'" I thought and said, "Grass-type Pokémon? No sweat! Huh, Phyeri?"

"Char!"

We went to the Celedon Gym the next morning and abruptly ended up in a battle with Kati. Buzzer beat her Weepinbell, Gloom, and Ivysaur with Twineedle. I beat Gina too, but Mica wasn't around. Next O found Erika. She was sitting in a patch of clover tending to a sad Oddish. When she was done, she looked up.

"Hello. Lovely weather isn't it?" she asked me, "It's so pleasant." She rambled on a bit, "Oh, I'm Erika, leader of the Celedon Gym. I teach the art of flower arranging. Welcome."

"Excuse me," I said, "I'm here for the Rainbow Badge."

"Oh, I'm sorry," She said, "I had no idea that you wished to challenge me. Very well, but I shall not loose. This will be a three-on-three."

"Right," I said, "We'll save you for last, Phyeri. Go, Buzzer!"

"Go, Victreebel!" Erika called, loosing her passiveness, "Wrap!"

Victreebel screeched and reached for Buzzer, who dodged.

"Twineedle!" I called. It was his best attack versus Grass-type Pokémon. Buzzer buzzed and started jabbing. He knocked Victreebel out after the second hit.

"Very good," Erika said, "Victreebel, return! Go, Tangela!"

"Buzzer, return!" I said, "Go, Wing-blade!"

"Constrict!"

"Fly!"

"Piyo!" Wing-blade squawked. He squeezed out of Tangela's vines and flew up. He dived down on Tangela. After a few Quick Attacks, it didn't look as if Tangela was going to get up.

"Go, Vileplume!"

"Come back, Wing-blade!" I ordered, "Get it, Phyeri! Ember!" Vileplume was only singed.

"Poison Powder!" Erika ordered.

"Plume!" called Vileplume. It sprayed Phyeri.

"Char!" Phyeri moaned.

"You can beat it, Phyeri!" I called, "Use your Ember again."

"Char!" he swung his tail, showering Vileplume in sparks.

"Petal Dance!"

"Vile! Plume-plume!" Vileplume whooped. She glowed and shot petals everywhere. The petals smacked Phyeri.

"EMBER!" I called, "Keep it up!"

"Meleon!" he attacked the petals, sending the flame-engulfed ones back at Vileplume. He fell down, hurt by his poison.

"Oh, Phyeri," I moaned. I held up his Pokéball.

"Lyon!" he shouted, shaking his head. He stood, building his Rage attack. Vileplume Thrashed him, and he almost toppled over again. Yet he let out another Flame-thrower and toasted it.

"Way to go!" I whooped. He looked tired, so I said, "Great job, Phyeri. Come rest now."

"Vileplume, return!" Erika said, "Oh! I concede defeat. You are remarkably strong. I must confer you the Rainbow Badge. It will make Pokémon up to level 50 obey you. You can have this too, TM21. It contains Mega Drain. Half the damage it inflicts is drained to heal your Pokémon."

"Thanks," I said, taking the TM and Badge.

Chapter IX  
To the Afterlife

Phyeri and I made our way through the Underground Path after a quick trip to the Center. I decided to let that Daycare guy near Cerulean take care of Buzzer for a while. The rest of us got lunch at a fast food place in Lavender Town before going back to the Pokémon Tower.

Last time, we'd made it to the third floor, so we did didn't pause before we got there again. There were plenty of crazy Channelers, but we did our best to avoid them. A few spotted us, but they'd say weird things and send out a Gastly.

"Kekeke! Kwaaah!" "You… shall… join… us…" and "GHOST!" were among the things they'd say before attacking us. My Pokémon were stronger now, and the Gastlies weren't too tough. After they were beaten, the Channeler would say something about being possessed.

"This place is sealed with white magic," one Channeler said when I reached her. She indicated a spot on the floor where the tiles were glowing. I stepped on it; there was no other way around the tombstones.

"Char!" Phyeri said cheerfully. I felt energy race through me as my Pokéballs glowed. Phyeri looked instantly more fit.

"Thanks," I said to the sane Channeler. She smiled.

I left the area with Phyeri still at my side. When we were out of sight of the glowing tile, Phyeri squeaked and tapped me.

"What is it?" I asked. I turned; he was pointing to a black shape. After a moment, I screamed, "Ghost!" The ghost was a shadowy thing with glowing eyes and a big grin. It was foggy and shaped like an upside-down teardrop with hands. I said, "Phyeri! Ember!"

"Char…" Phyeri squeaked.

"Get out…get out…." The ghost said.

"Wha?" I questioned, "Who are you?"

"Get out… get out…."

__

Make the invisible plain to see, the sign had said. While the ghost hovered threateningly and Phyeri was frozen in fear, I whipped out the Silph Scope and pushed the button.

"PING!" it sounded. The satellite dish on top began to spin around slowly. The foggy black stuff the ghost was made of reformed into a Gastly.

"It's a wild Gastly!" I cried, "Ember, Phyeri!"

"Char!" Phyeri's flame caught Gastly's gas on fire. Gastly, panicked, hovered around in circles.

"Leer!" I said. Phyeri released the Leer attack he'd perfected by me being his trainer. Gastly froze a moment.

"Pokéball, go!" I cried, using a Great Ball. It swallowed Gastly up and didn't open up.

"PING! Gastly—the gas Pokémon," my PokéDex said, "Almost invisible, this gaseous Pokémon cloaks the target and puts it to sleep without notice."

With Buzzer at the daycare, I had a free slot on my belt and the Gastly, nicknamed Boo, stayed with me. We went up the next stairs, fought a few more Channelers and wild Gastlies, found a few little items like Potions, battled a Haunter, and went up the next stairs.

I found a gold nugget and several more crazy ladies on the next floor. I concluded that the Channelers must get crazier as they get higher in the tower and have less oxygen when one challenged me saying, "Give…me…blood…" She had three Gastlies so I battled her with Boo and Koratta.

"Be gone…intruders…" something said as I approached the next staircase. Phyeri clung to me; he doesn't like ghosts, though exceptions can be made to Ghost-type Pokémon.

Another ghost appeared in front of us, blocking the staircase. The Silph Scope unveiled its identity. Marowak's big narrowed eyes seemed to radiate with pain and sadness.

Funny, I didn't recall hearing that Marowak was a Ghost type.

"Whack!" it called, tossing its bone. Somehow that one good pop in the head knocked Phyeri out, and Marowak turned on me. It easily dodged the Pokéball I threw.

"Go, Hana!" I ordered. I could have sworn Marowak was a Ground type. Marowak hit Hana with Bone Club, but Hana used Sleep Powder and Mega Drain. She regained the hit points the Bone Club had lost her and knocked Marowak out.

The Pokémon faded away…weird….

"Mayo-whack!" I heard.

"Cubone's mother," I realized, "The ghost was the restless soul of Cubone's mother…. I guess… I guess she's calmed now. She's in the afterlife!" I smiled, recalled Hana, and managed to wake Phyeri up. We went up the stairs cautiously.

"Meel," Phyeri sighed.

"Them again," I mumbled. Megan and Mike's Vulpix turned and yelped. There was an old man, a hippie-like dude with hair and a beard so long they hid eyes and most of his gray cloak, gagged and tied to a chair.

"Huh?" Mike asked.

"You _again_?!" Megan demanded.

"No, duh," I said haughtily. 

"Go, Spearow!" Megan ordered.

"Go, Slowpoke!" Mike commanded.

"Go, Sparkling!" I ordered, "Thunderbolt!"

"Pi! Pika! CHU!" Sparkling cried.

Zap!

She took special care to not miss hitting Mike, Megan, and Vulpix.

"Wing-blade!" I called to my Pidgeotto, "Get 'em with Fly!"

Due to the large conveniently placed window, Wing-blade was not the only one flying by the time he was done.

"Don't forget to write!" I called to Team Rocket as they disappeared into the forest outside the tower. I untied the man.

"Heh?" he asked, "You came to save me? Thank you, but I came here of my own free will. I came to calm the soul of Cubone's mother. I think Marowak's spirit had gone to the afterlife."

"No problem," I said, "I'm Neka. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Mr. Fuji," he said, "I must thank you for your kind concern! Follow me to my home, Pokémon House, at the foot of this tower."

Once back at his house, I told Mr. Fuji of my adventures.

Finally he said, "Neka. Your Pokémon quest may fail without love for your Pokémon. I think this may help your quest. It's a PokéFlute!"

"Thank you," I said. I took the flute, though I had no idea what it had to do with loving my Pokémon.

"Upon hearing the PokéFlute," Mr. Fuji explained, "sleeping Pokémon will spring awake. It works on all sleeping Pokémon. Good luck on your journeys."

"Thank you," I repeated.


End file.
